When a music video is made, one variable is whether or not the people making it know if a song is going to be popular or not. Some videos are made for songs that are already extremely popular, or definitely will be popular because of who the artist is.
In some cases, however, a video is made for a song that nobody has any idea will become a hit. This happened with Cameron Duddys video for Sail by Awolnation - the video was made before the song became a huge success. In this case, the video was more than able to stand up as the singles visual once the song started climbing the charts.
Sometimes, however, a video has to be thrown out entirely when a single blows up. That happened in 2008-2010 for the Florence + The Machine single "Dog Days Are Over". Filmed on a whim and a small budget, the original video the video takes place in a forest and features Florence Welch's dad in a clown costume. However, when the single was re-released in 2010, an entirely new video was made, directed by Geremy & Georgie. Let's take a look!
At its core, this video is a showcase for Florence Welch, and features her dressed in different costumes and makeup in a white environment. Starting off with only herself, the number people and things in the environment continue to grow as the song picks up momentum. Pretty soon she is join by two blue women with beehive hairdos, dummers, harps, and even an entire gospel choir arranged in a pyramid shape.
I think it's a really strong testament to this video that this image of Florence Welch is one of the most enduring. The visual of Welch's bright red hair, white skin, and off-white dress is simple and striking.
I've always thought of this video as a prime example of a music video that devotes itself fully to visualizing the music. I'm not sure if there is a deeper meaning encoded in what Geremy & Georgie are putting up on the screen, but every element that is included seems to be a reaction to the music somehow. We get that from the fast opening tracking shot that moves at the same pace as the opening harp, all the way to the placement of everyone towards the end of the song. Only as the song begins to break down do people start dissapearing in clouds of colored dust.
I also think the inclusion of the beehive hairdo backup dancers is a clever reflection of the music industry's love of throwback images at the time. Even after Amy Winehouse started the trend with Back to Black, in 2010 artists like Duffy and Adele were keeping the trend alive with releases that were had vintage musical elements. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but it could be something of a commentary to place two vintage-styled backup dancers into a video for a song that doesn't really seem to fit that.
This video is one of the most memorable from a period where music videos were just finding their feet online and one that made an impact with nothing more than a great performance and striking styling. It's also one of the first videos on my list of ones that need to be posted in a resolution higher than 360p. YouTube, can you look into that?
